Best Single Folding Camp Beds for Car Camping

The best single folding camp beds that you can take with you on your car camping adventures and holidays. We delve in to the world of comfortable camping and how to have a good nights sleep on some of these single folding camp beds we review below.

We have reviewed 5 of what we think are some decent offerings in the world of comfortable car camping bed offerings. Each single camp bed has been tested and reviewed by us and they range from affordable to pricier beds, depending on what you need, we hope we have highlighted something you may be after in a specific camp bed.

Whether you are after a fold up, pack away, roll up or different single camp bed, we have reviewed those which can be made smaller than they are when in use so that you can most importantly get them in to your car and take them on your adventures in to the wilderness, knowing you'll end up having a decent nights sleep. We have got busy with reviewing this type of bed for camping because we spend more and more time in one location at a 'base camp' that it's lovely to have something that keeps you warmer than a floor bed and comfortable for a full nights sleep, this is exactly what you need when you're out in the Lake District, Wales, Scotland or elsewhere in the UK for a prolonged time with your partner or family.

Below there are various types of single camp bed and we aim to find out the best in a number of areas, the best camping bed for ease of use, the most comfortable, the easiest to pack away and we'll highlight how they keep you warm, comfort levels and how much they cost. The most important note is the size of each when they are packed up, this guide is aimed at those going car camping, so you should have room for each of these camp beds and we suggest you don't try to take these backpacking with you, roll-mats, self inflating mats are much more versatile, lighter to carry and we recommend those for wild camping and backpacking and hiking.

What Are The Benefits of a Folding Camp Bed

There are some great benefits to a single folding camp bed, above we mention both warmth and comfort and with a proper camp bed you will find both of these in abundance. With a camp bed, you are immediately raised off of the ground, which is one of the best improvements to a nights sleep, the ground can sap you of any warmth, you need to get as far away from it as possible, or at least, add as many layers between you and it as possible, sometimes this just doesn't work though, so space and ground clearance is best. I have had many a night on a cold hard floor outside in a tent and I have had a duvet, a thin roll mat and blankets beneath me and i've struggled to stay warm.

The next best thing with a folding camp bed is that you can sink in to it, which means it is quite comfortable. They all use soft materials other than the Jay-be which has an actual mattress. So you can sink in to these materials as they stretch under you and it means you are both supported and comfortable. If you find they aren't soft enough, you can always slip in a foam roll mat or some blankets and this should also help with keeping your warm and comfortable on a nights sleep.

The Best Single Folding Camp Beds

The best single camp bed is the Terra Hiker Single Camping Bed, it's lightweight, easy to put together, gets you off the ground, comfortable and small enough to pack a few of them in to a car for a family camping get-away. It is very comfortable and beaten only by the Jay-be, but that does come with it's own mattress, so hard to beat. Even small children can put this one together and we can see 3 or 4 of these fitting in a family sized tent with no problems.

The Jay-Be is the most comfortable camping bed and cot an incredible option, doesn't cost much more than the other camp beds but is let down by one thing. If you are a family, it will be hard for you to pack four or more of these in to your car unless you have a larger estate or MPV. If you do, you're in for an absolute treat, by far the most comfortable out of the lot and will easily see you through night after night of great sleeps, just what you need if you've been hiking or out adventuring all day.

The Yahill is a close 2nd and we've put that in just above the Jay-Be, it's not as comfortable but is an interesting and unique camp bed. We've never seen this style before but it's quite impressive. It offers a similar comfortable sleep to that of the Terra Hiker but is put together differently with it's new design, the most innovative camp bed we have seen.

Once you create the long length poles to give the camp bed it's length, just connect the loops which become the beds feet and from there you add the poles to support and give the bed it's width, it's really clever and with this build process means the whole pack can be kept relatively small and you could therefore fit a number of them in your cars boot or back-seat to take camping.

The last two camp beds are by Milestone, they aren't bad camp beds but just not as good, comfortable or thought out as well as the Terra Hiker, Yahill and Jay-Be. If you are after cheaper options though and are new to camping and still working out sleeping arrangements, they will be a great introduction to camp beds.

They are though tried and tested single camp beds and these designs have been around for years and years. They both pack away nicely but our main issue with these are how they are put together. We struggled with these a bit more than the others. The Jay-Be is the heaviest and therefore an adult will have to pull this out of the cars boot and set it up, the Terra Hiker and Yahill click together nicely with the Yahill needing a little bit of force to connect the looped legs with the width poles.

They both required some force to connect the legs to the frame which holds the material on which you lie but are both cheap and cheerful camping beds.

The Terra Hiker camping bed can provide luxury at a quick speedy pace as delivery can be next day with this product via Amazon Prime it seems quite a pricey bed at first but if you are a keen camper this is actually very cost effective price for a more than comfortable night sleep. I purchased this camping bed on a last minute wim going on a camping trip in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.

This little camping bed only weighs 1.4kg, which if you do a mixture of driving to a camping site then going off for one night wild camping in between this ticks the box for both worlds of camping. It comes in a light storage bag and takes up very little space in the car that you could easily just leave it there all the time ready for your next adventure.

To assemble is fairly straightforward, you need to flip the camping bed upside down so the legs are on top then unfold the two poles that will sit at the edge of the bed by inserting them into the cloth as you would a tent. There are gaps in the cloth that exposes the poles and these gaps are the places you will need to connect your metal rods too. To connect the rods requires unfolding them and then attaching the clip and the base either side of the rods to the supporting pole exposed in the gap, it is easier to start with the middle rods in regards tension of the bed. What I like about this method of assembly is it is like putting up a simple tent, it has good instructions and also does not require you to be super strong to do it.

The quality of this camping bed is excellent, the rods and poles are made from a strong aircraft grade aluminium alloy and have strong rubber feel on the supporting rods making sure it does not move through the night. The material of the bed itself is made from a strong stretch free Oxford polyester fabric, that is also the longest in length I have tried at 200 cm long, my feet did not hang of the edge for once!

Pros

Extremely lightweight

Good length

Large weight capacity

Compact

Could be used for both car camping and backpacking

Robust material

Easy to assemble

Available for next day delivery with Amazon Prime

Packs away to 50 x 14cm when in it's stow away bag

Cons

Quite pricey but this could be a buy for lifetime purchase.

Verdict

The Terra Hiker Camping Bed is a fantastic camping device, saving you from back ache, providing you an enjoyable night sleep and is easy to transport in your car and set up.

Review of Yahill Single Camping Bed

This is a review of the Yahill Ultralight Camping Bed. A camping bed which can be packed away in it's sleeve for car camping. It is the smallest when packed away at 42 x 12cm in size in it's pack bag.

The Yahill Ultralight Camping Bed is not your usual looking camping bed, a lot of design has gone into creating this.

At a weight of only 1.7kg and the ability to fold up to a size of 41 by 12cm in its compact carry bag. Its size gives you the option to combine a car camping and an overnight camping trip.

The material of the camping bed is made from a strong nylon,at 180cm it isn't the longest camping bed available however if you require a little longer there is now an upgraded model of this camping bed at a length of 190 cm with an extra 12 cm on the width.

The assembly of the bed does take a bit of strength to get the anodized aluminium poles in as you will need to slightly bend the poles to get into both sides of the bed. There are also 8 poles provided, which allows you to double up the centre poles for extra support and there are extra further holes in the material to added further support however this all adds to assembly time and its overall difficulty. Once assembled is is genuinely a comfortable night sleep. The soft nylon circular feet provide extra stability and a spring mattress sensation.

The Jay-Be Folding Bed really is a car camping bed, basically if you don't have a car, taking this camping is unrealistic. Weighing 9kg and measuring 189 x 70 x 38 cm in size, it is a whopper but provides a good additional sleeping option to the occasional guest sleeper or a fantasticly comfortable bed for long camp stays when setting up your basecamp.

The size dimensions provides comfort for even the tallest or widest member of the family, this camping bed actually uses a mattress rather than a polyester or nylon fabric cover.The mattress has no springs yet provides good support while not being too soft either, it is wonderfully comfortable.

If you are to use it on a regular basis it is worth bearing in mind that it is not quite the size of a full single bed, so use in the home for more than occasional use may provide uncomfortable after a while. As a camping bed used in a tent the bed is quite tall and a little cumbersome in comparison to other camping beds. I would say this is best for someone who has the tent to themselves or for someone that has tried out the fabric cover camping beds and did not get on with it then this is a worthy opponent.

Pros

Breathable mattress fibre

Ideal for occasional use

Good length about to accommodate someone who is 6ft tall

Comes with lifetime frame guarantee

Compact compared to other guest beds

Easy to stow away

Exceeds British and European safety standards

Option to purchase a separate cover to fit it

Cons

Not particularly wide

Bigger than the rest of the camp cots and beds when packed away

Verdict

The JAY-Be Folding Camping Bed is not your average camping bed however it works well as an occasional guest bed but not one for backpacking, making it suitable for camping you do when using your car. It is a little cumbersome and heavy however provides heaps of comfort to make up for this.

If you have the space to accomodate a couple of these in your car, you can't go wrong with the price, the comfort, that it comes with a lifetime frame guarantee and the great nights sleep you'll get with them.

The Milestone Folding camping bed has a green polyester canvas cover and uses three metal legs that criss cross underneath the bed with rubber feet to the base of the legs. The Milestone camping bed is well suited as a car camping bed, its not quite light enough to be carried backpacking at 3.7kg with all your other gear yet comes in a small carry bag that does not take much space up in your boot while you travel.

It has a robust and durable cover made from 600D polyester making it waterproof and tear proof too. I found the material itself to be strong enough to hold my weight but personally I did not like the metal leg design to the underneath of the bed. Firstly the legs especially the outer two are awkward to fix into place and will require extra force to get to fit correctly.

This camping bed is perfect for your petite camper, however if you would class yourself as large, tall or a little overweight you are not going to find this a comfortable night sleep.

Pros

waterproof

tear resistant and flame retardant

lightweight

brings you high off the floor

Cons

Flimsy

Not very strong

Verdict

The Milestone Folding Camping Bed is a reasonably priced car camping bed that ticks the boxes for stability if you are petite to average in size. It is a little tricky to get the knack of putting it together but if you are strong enough and once done it a few times is easy to master.

The Milestone 4 leg camping bed looked simple before buying but actually is more fiddly to use and store than it initially seems. First appealing attributes are its cheap and cheerful price, the small package it comes as and its quick delivery time.

The 4 legs are a good design feature making it overall very sturdy to lie on however the width of the bed is is quite narrow so I found myself having difficultly lying straight as the metal legs started to dig in. I would advice having a thick chunky sleeping bag, which works absolutely fine if you are car camping as you can squeeze in a thicker sleeping bag into your car easier than you can your backpack.

Coming back to the legs of the camping bed again, these are made from steel making them immensely strong to be able to hold your weight, however this also does mean that YOU need to be just as strong to be able to get the legs into the leg holes of the fabric as the fabric is very tight. There is also the problem that you will need to remove the legs entirely before folding the camping bed up which does take time and means you have to go through the awkward assembly of the legs each time.

Pros

Stable construction

Easy to assemble

Tear resistant

Flame retardant

Strong steel frame

Large enough for those extra tall or wide

Comes in a drawstring carry bag

Fairly cheap

Cons

To fit the legs in place requires a lot of strength

You need to remove the legs each time you pack it away

Verdict

The Milestone Camping Bed works well for a strong yet small and slim individual, as long as you can deal with the awkward assembly this cheap, cheerful camping bed should serve you well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of Contents

How Else Can I Have A Good Nights Sleep

Blankets! beneath and above you, anything that traps air, gets you off the ground or adds to the comfort. The best thing to do is to put two times as many layers under you that you have on or around you. So if you sleep well with one sleeping bag, we recommend that you put two blankets underneath you. That way you have many layers trapping air under you, your core will be nice and warm and the blankets will even soften the camp beds and make it more comfortable for you. These blankets can also be used when you're outside having a BBQ at night or when hanging around the tent cooking so you don't have to double up on them, just make them work in more scenarios.

Best Camping Bed for Kids

Every bed we have reviewed will be more than capable of handling your kids. They are all sturdy and comfortable beds which can fit adults and children.

If we were to recommend a camp bed for kids, we would recommend the Milestone and the Yahill, they both support slightly less weight than the others and both look cool enough for the kids to put together and play around on as well, they just might need a little bit of help with that though as there is a bit of tension on the supports when putting them together.

Which Single Camp Bed for Tall Adults

If you are tall, like myself, the best answer is the Terra Hiker, it fits anyone up to 200cm tall, unlike the other camp beds which all come in around the 180cm length.

Best Single Camp Bed For Long Camp Trips

If you are camping for a prolonged time and sleep will be a priority for the stay, the Jay-Be is easily the winner. As long as you can fit it in to your cars boot or back seats when journeying down to your camp site it will perform like a real bed, it also comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and this will give you a great night sleep, night after night.